Is There a Doctor by the Campsite?
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Ash is attacked and separated from his group. However, he has managed to help determine who had it out to hurt him. Timeshipping-Ash&Calista.
1. Dangerous Camping

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

_**Is There a Doctor by the Campsite?**_

_Chapter 1: Dangerous Camping_

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There was a campsite on the mountainside. On that cliff, a pot of stew was boiling, where a young tanned man in a green shirt and brown vest was stirring. His brunette hair was shaped like a 2-D spike pit in Mario games. By him was a pink cute egg-shaped creature, with what appeared to be red pants, and an egg in those pants. It was anxious to have that stew. "Settle down, Happiny," the young man tried to calm the round creature. "It's almost done." The Happiny was anxious to have some of that stew. Who could blame it? It looked scrumptious to have. That's when he shot a look over to a table, where another young man was setting the plates. He had whiter skin than the one at the pot. He, also, had a red cap, designed with a black front and a pair of blue half circles on it. He wore a white t-shirt under a black, sleeveless jacket, and a pair of jeans. With him, was a yellow mouse, with a lightning-shaped tail. They just set the spoons down, ready for the food.

"Table's set, Brock," he called out. Brock, the one with Happiny, saw the second youngster, glad that he got preparations done.

"Thanks, Ash." That's when a girl walked into the scene, with a baby blue penguin. The blue-haired girl was wearing a black tank top shirt, with a pink skirt, and pink boots. She was also carrying a couple jugs.

"I got the water!" she announced. Hearing the girl, the boys turned to her, glad that she got the water.

"Good work, Dawn," Ash greeted. Dawn got to the table, and placed the watered jugs on the grass. She, then, proceeded to wipe her forehead clean of sweat. It must've been quite a workout to get the jugs up there.

"Next time, Ash, you're getting the water, and me, set the table." Seeing how flustered and exhausted Dawn was, Ash couldn't help but nervously scratch the back of his neck.

"O-of course." Brock wanted to get everyone's attention, and what better way to do it, than food. The stew was ready to be devoured.

"Dinner's ready," he called. The stomachs on everyone were growling, so some food was necessary to dwell the hungering beast. As they were dining, Ash was observing Dawn's penguin and his mouse eating together. Why did that catch his attention?

"Dawn, I've noticed that you've kept Piplup outside, more and more often. Any specific reason?" Ash was curious about Dawn's responsibility to her Piplup, but Dawn didn't seem to keep track of what she was doing...at least, to Ash's eyes.

"Well, I like having Piplup out, since you like to have Pikachu out, as well, and Brock, with his Happiny," she clarified. It was an understandable reason, but Ash was rather concerned about that. There was a logical briefing to it.

"Well, Pikachu doesn't like to be in its Pokéball, and I can't to anything about it. It's Team Rocket, I'd be watching out for." Those guys that try to take Pokémon from everyone? Well, what about Brock?

"And besides," he voiced. "Happiny is still a baby, albeit, unusually strong for her size." Happiny was mega-strong? Well, she, Pikachu and Piplup were enjoying a nice meal of Brock very own. The meal had taken an hour to be fully consumed. There wasn't a splash of stew left in the pot.

"I'll clean up," Ash volunteered. The two agreed to that, and proceeded to set up a tent, while Ash did the cleaning. The sun was just about gone from the horizon, as Ash was doing something in some tall grass, near the rocky cliff side. He was in a white tee shirt, no vest. Suddenly, Pikachu and Happiny came to Ash, holding a storage device of some sort. Ash saw that, seemingly happy to see it. "Thanks, guys." Whatever he was doing, seemed important to this story. No details to reveal, yet. Dawn got out of a large tent, trying to get Ash's attention.

"How long are you gonna be out there?" she questioned. On cue, Ash got up, and turned to the tent, and Dawn.

"I'm coming." Ash and the Pokémon entered the tent, as a tiny red light was faintly shimmering from the tall grass. Hours had passed, mostly, because the moon was directly over the mountainside. Everyone in the tent was dead asleep...unless you were Ash. He seemed restless. As he rose from his sleeping bag, and stumbled out of the tent, he walked out to the side of the cliff, seeing a sea of trees, that appeared to span endlessly through the lands, beneath his feet. For a few minutes, all he could do was watch the swaying trees, moving with the pushing of a gentle breeze. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Ash turned to the sound. Was it team Rocket? All that was there,was someone, who looked around Ash's sized, with a larger figure, by the first. There was nothing that could help with knowing who or what it was. The smaller silhouette made a signal that made the larger silhouette race at Ash...with sparks crackling from it's arm. Before Ash could make a reaction, the sparking fist landed on Ash's chest...with gusto. It was some powerful blow. So powerful, Ash was sent over the edge. As the figures looked on, seeing Ash vanish from cliff side, Ash was feeling no air in his lungs. He was falling, and he could do nothing. He couldn't scream for help. He couldn't get his Pokémon to help. He was falling, and he was helpless. He disappeared into the sea of trees, and the two silhouettes walked away from the camp, satisfied of what they did. What were they there for, and what was their purpose? No Pokémon were taken from the campsite. Ash laid on the grass, beneath the trees...unconscious. Was he...dead?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. The 1900 Words of Truth

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Chapter 2:The 1900 Words of Truth

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From the top of the cliff side, all you could see was trees. You wouldn't see a crisis that had befallen Ash. He was attacked and knocked off the mountainside by a pair of shadowy figures, and disappeared beneath the sea of trees. He laid on his side, reeling from the pain of that shot to the chest, and unable to move. The pain was like shards of glass, poking and scraping every bone and organ inside. Hearing him breathe was a good sign that he was alive. It was the only good sign. Another pair of shadowy figures emerged, but they were smaller than the ones who assaulted him. One figure looked down and swung a nod to its apparent partner. The partner's eyes were glowing blue, followed by Ash, himself. Then, Ash's body...was floating? The mangled body was levitating, and gliding toward the new pair of silhouettes. Where were the two "carrying" Ash? The morning rose. Back at the campsite, Brock and Pikachu were waking up to the sun. Both stepped out of the tent, ready to start the day. They looked inside, but they didn't see Ash. It was pretty strange. "Wonder where Ash ran off to?" Brock questioned. Pikachu looked, but didn't see anything that was out of the ordinary...as much as Ash's vanishing act was concerned.

("I don't know,") it shrugged. The early discovering sounds had stirred Dawn up, making her look at the emptying tent and the two, looking outside for Ash. She stepped out, not sure of what was happening.

"What's going on, guys?" she asked. Brock turned to the girl, hoping to see if she could help in the search.

"Ash is gone," he informed. "He didn't leave a note." That was troubling. Dawn started to panic a little, and looked over to the tall grass, where she saw Ash mess around, last night. She ran over to that spot. That's when she found something, that made her think that Ash's disappearance didn't go unnoticed. It was a camcorder.

"Guys, over here!" Hearing the cry, Brock and Pikachu ran over to the lone female, and saw the camcorder. What, was Ash a person of voyeurism? Trying to catch an up-skirt of Dawn?

"Why would a video camera, be in the grass, like that?" That was a good question. The only one who would know of this was Ash, and no one else...except for Pikachu.

("It was for our safety,") it explained. The humans shot looks to the Pokémon, wondering what Pikachu was talking about.

"Safety?" Dawn repeated. Brock picked up the camcorder. Safety wasn't the issue. Ash was.

"Let's go over the tape, and see if we can catch Ash's departure," Brock hypothesized. It might have. They were hoping that Ash was okay. He wasn't. Meanwhile, Ash was opening his eyes. He saw a ceiling. The ceiling seemed unfamiliar to him. He slowly bobbed his head back and forth, trying to see where he was.

"Where am I?" he questioned. He tried to get off his back. He got an inch up...before gently putting himself back on his back. There was pain and he was grimacing. He clutched his chest. He was greatly injured. "My ribs!" The way, he reacted to the injuries, might have meant that his ribs were busted. He tried to take breaths, as deep as he could inhale, without aggravating the ribs, any more. It had taken a few minutes, but he was starting to calm...but he looked back to what happened. 'Hands down, that was Paul and his Electabuzz that attacked me.' He knew his attacker? 'I should have it on tape.' So he was the one to put the camcorder in the tall grass. As he was just about relaxed, despite the injuries suffered, he laid a hand down...and felt hair. Why was he able to feel hair? Or was it fur? Ash petted the hair for a few seconds, before he turned his head, gingerly, to his petting. It wasn't a fuzzy creature...but a pigtailed redhead girl. Her head was lying on a makeshift bed, Ash was on, near his waist. Her arms had green bracelets, matching the beads in her hair. Ash was stunned. 'I thought she wanted to be an archaeologist, not a doctor.' That's when Ash peered at his upper body...wrapped up like a mummy. Bandages were covering everything above his stomach, as well as his left shoulder. He probably couldn't see, but his right knee was bandaged up, too. He was in nothing but his skivvies. He took quite a beating and fall. 'Guess it does run in the family, after all.' He turned to the unknown girl...not so much, unknown. Like she knew that her name was called, she was waking up. Her emerald green eyes glared blankly at the awakened patient.

"How are you feeling, Ash?" she sleepy wondered. Ash smiled, still wincing from the pain.

"Not too hot, Calista." Calista had risen to her feet, wearing an overall blue dress. She began to observe the bandaged areas, pressing on the wounds. Ash felt pain from the areas and clenched his hands into a fist, having the stress fill up. His shoulder was hurt. His knee was hurt. His chest felt like a pin cushion. He was a mess of busted bones. Calista was willing to let Ash know of his diagnosis.

"Looks like you've got a separated shoulder blade, along with a cracked knee cap, and don't get me started on your rib cage. If I had a guess, I'd say four or five ribs on each side. It's a miracle that you're even talking to me, let alone, be conscious." Ouch! Ash was a wreck, and all the blame seemed to be on this Paul-dude. Ash was astonished with what Calista was doing.

"I thought you wanted to become an archaeologist, not follow your parents path, and become a doctor." Well, considering that they met in the past, it seemed that Ash had a point. Calista stared out somewhere in the distance. There were...mysterious markings.

"Well, believe it or not, we're in a hidden underground sanctuary." A sanctuary? So, Calista was doing her digging. But for what? In the meantime, Brock, Dawn and Pikachu were viewing the tape. They were up to when Ash stepped outside of the tent.

"He seems restless," Dawn figured. It was when Ash walked over to the edge of the cliff. There was no reason for Ash to walk off, but he wasn't doing that.

"Well, he's not moving himself away from the camp," Brock mentioned. That's when someone else got into the shot. It was a young man in a dark spring jacket and jeans, to go over his messy violet hair. By him was a large yellow creature with black lightning-shaped marks over its body. Brock recognized them, right away. "That's Paul and his Electabuzz!" Dawn and Pikachu were shocked.

"What's he doing at our camp?" Before Dawn and Brock were able to answer, they watched Electabuzz deliver a nasty electric punch to Ash's chest, with enough force to send him flying over the side. Did Paul run over to save Ash from becoming killed? Not that Ash is dead, yet, but Paul walked off, with a grin on his face. Disbelief. Dawn, Brock and Pikachu couldn't believe what occurred."W-w-why?" Brock's face was grit. His best friend, attacked off the mountainside, and he feared the worse.

"I know that Ash and Paul weren't on good terms with each other, but this too far." _Way_ too far, indeed. They turned the camcorder off, before they raced down the mountain. While that was happening, Calista was telling Ash of why she was here in this underground sanctuary, and revealed something that had Ash highly interested.

"Arceus?" he wondered. Who now? Calista seemed to have known something that would get her interested in something like this.

"Yeah, quite a find, to say the least," she praised. "I've come to Sinnoh to get knowledge about Arceus. Baltoy and I stowed away from home, and managed to get here." That's for sure. Ash was fascinated about what Calista did to get here. "I talked to plenty of archaeologists, so that I could get a head start on the discovery, and history of this world, including info on that legendary Pokémon." Wow. Ash got more and more interested with her findings.

"Sounds like you and Baltoy've been through a lot." Calista was willing to disagree with that. It couldn't have been too long since her research of this Arceus began.

"I recently got here, and saw the markings, when I heard a pretty bad series of broken tree limbs, and thuds." It's usually the thuds that draw people to see what happened. The tree branches were a nice additive, though. Ash realized that she was pointing at him for that noise. "I was gonna give you a piece of my mind, until I saw this." She pulled the white shirt, Ash was wearing when he was assaulted by Paul. It was scorched in that sweet spot. Calista pondered that he was attacked. This was proof. "What happened to you? Got mixed up with some heartless trainer?" That's one way to put it. A heavy sigh told Calista that she was right.

"When it comes to Pokémon, I enjoy seeing them, believing that I'll catch one, as well as train one." Calista nodded, stemming from an earlier meeting.

"You can't be a Pokémon Master, if you don't try to capture more." True enough. Ash had more.

"Well, there's a guy who's pretty much the opposite of me, more or less. He's one who discards Pokémon, almost as fast as he captures them. He's also the one, who attacked me." Calista became petrifyingly worried. These injuries were pretty severe, and the knowledge of how he nearly died, or killed, seemed to sink in more than the amount of food Ash could stuff in his mouth...when he was healthy. She walked over to Ash, with tears in her eyes. She leaned over, and as gently as she could, embraced Ash in a hug. She cried, with her tears soaking the wraps on his body. His left shoulder was shot, not his elbow. He reached her head with the forearm of his left, and wrapped her back with the right arm. Consoling her, Ash wished that he could've avoided that attack from Paul's Electabuzz. He wished that he had extra time. Right now, all he could do, was comfort the person, treating him. Pikachu, Brock and Dawn were going to find him. At this moment, he needed to find himself. 'I'm sorry, Calista. I wish I could ease you...like you, to me.' He stared at the ceiling, as he brushed Calista's hair. That was all he could do.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED... (This is a Timeshipping, meaning Ash/Calista pairing. If you don't know who Calista is, look up the episode "Me, Myself and Time)


	3. Risen from Pain, Fear and Loneliness

_Chapter 3: Risen of Pain, Fear, and Loneliness_

* * *

Dawn, Brock and Pikachu were searching for Ash, unsure of his health. It was Paul who attacked Ash, and knocked him off the mountainside. The thing about the attack, was that Ash had it caught on tape. Still, the three that were hoping to see him in good shape, was fading. They had arrived at where they had suspected Ash landed. He was nowhere to be found. "Are you sure, this is where Ash fell to?" Dawn rose her voice. Brock saw a small pile of pebbles and broken branches, and looked up. He was pretty confident that this was the spot.

"No mistake," he growled. "Ash must have been cushioned a little by the trees. Even so..." Even so, Ash didn't fare well on impact. He was badly injured. Dawn believed that Brock was going to say that he was killed from the fall, or some other sort of calamity.

"No! Ash _is _alive. I just know it." If you only knew how alive he was. Brock nodded, understanding Dawn's concern. Right now, Ash was to be found.

"The question, I have, is if Ash was badly hurt, how could he move so fast from the area? I would understand disorientation, but even Ash could break from it, the instant he was fully awake." Guess Brock though Ash suffered a concussion. That's when Pikachu sniffed the area, Ash landed. Was there a scent that the Pokémon could use? It did. The scent had it looking toward a trail

("He went that way!") Pikachu voiced, before running off, in trace of the scent. Dawn and Brock determined that Pikachu was getting toward Ash.

"Pikachu found a scent?" she guessed.

"Looks like it," Brock confirmed. "Come on!" They raced off after Pikachu, hoping to find their friend. The three continued...until Pikachu stopped, in front of an open hole of a tree. Was this where Ash was? Even the humans didn't believe it. "In there?" The humans glanced at each other. If Ash was in there, how did he?

"Let's go." The three entered the hole, which was a sloped ramp. Luckily, the footing was leveled. Inside the shrine, Ash woke to sounds of footsteps, as he cuddled with a sleeping Calista. Could this be Paul, willing to finish the job?

'Someone's coming,' he thought to himself. 'Is it Team Rocket? Man, talk about bad timing to get hurt. I can't defend Pikachu, much less, save him.' Well, it turned out that the hole in the tree and the shrine were one in the same. Pikachu emerged from the top of the stairway, and saw its master. Finally, a reunion.

("Ash!") Pikachu shouted. ("It's you!") It ran and jumped up to the bed. Ash was thrilled to see Pikachu, okay. He even chuckled a little, not to aggravate the pain he was in.

"Hey, Pikachu." He reached out and petted the mouse, in relief. That's when Pikachu saw Calista, rather uncoordinated about her appearance.

("What's Calista doing here?") Ash was going to say to Pikachu, about her tale, when...

"Ash!" Brock and Dawn called out. They got to the bottom of the stairs, where they saw the mangled Ash. Both were horrified with the condition of the trainer. "Whoa! Paul sent you to the wringer." That's one way to look at it. It confirmed what Ash had figured from the morning.

"So, I take it you saw the tape, then?" he asked. With a swift nod from Dawn, Ash knew that the three were on the same page. That's when Dawn saw Calista, wondering who she was.

"Anyway, who's the kid?" she questioned. Ash glanced over to Calista...with one particular thought in mind. It was the best way to describe her, without unveiling her name.

"As of right now, she my heroine." That was nice. Dawn believed him, since there was no other way to explain what had happened. Brock didn't break out into any abnormal convulsions of jealousy. Right now, professional medical treatment for Ash was more important. She turned to Dawn with a command.

"Dawn, return to camp and wait for the Medevac to arrive," he ordered. Medevac? Dawn agreed, and exited the shrine. Her running stirred Calista awake. She seemed confused to the new sounds while trying to sleep. Her face had been stained with a line running down from her eyes. All that crying, all that worry, and she seemed afraid of something.

"What's going on?" she wakingly wondered. She looked around and saw Brock, who looked ready to answer.

"We're helping Ash out of here, and over to a hospital," he slowly clarified. "I thank you for aiding Ash, as much as possible. Just leave the rest to us." Calista understood Brock, but was still as concerned as she was, when Ash told her of Paul's actions.

"I...I don't want to. I care too much to let him go." Can't blame her. She patched the areas that demanded the most attention: the kneecap, shoulder blade and the rib cage. She remained close by Ash, when, using his good arm, he placed his hand on her shoulder. That caused her to shoot a look at him, who smiled.

"It'll be okay, Calista," he grinned. "I hope that it's just a check-and-release." Confident, were we? Calista shook her head, saying that the injuries were too serious to be let go, after a simple check.

"You're hurt too much, Ash. You'll be in ICU for weeks, with those injuries. I love you, so badly, I'd rather die, than let you go." Where'd that confession come from? The boys were wide-eyed in shock, with no help from Pikachu. She admitted her love to Ash. Quickly recovering from that heart-filled outburst, Ash continued to smile. Was he expecting something like that to happen to him? He placed his hand on her stained face, and rubbed it, as gently as she hugged him, before.

"I can't take care of you, in this condition, but thanks. I'll think of you, while I'm in the ER. It'll give me strength to live. When I do get better, we can go on a date, alright?" Calista cried a chuckle, hoping for Ash to get better, in addition to the acceptance of her teary admittance. Suddenly, Dawn returned to the scene, with men in blue jackets and a backboard in tow. The men made it to the bed, Ash was on. One of the men was sickened with how Ash looked, considering all those bandages on him.

"Man, even I have a time, understanding how these so-called extreme kids push their bodies like they didn't care," he grunted. That wasn't what happened.

"The incident was caught on tape. You'll see what really occurred." The other jacketed man wrapped a neck brace on the trainer's neck. Then, they loaded him up, carefully, onto the backboard, and folded his arms in, trying not to harm the already damaged shoulder. That's when they lifted the loaded backboard, and carried him out of the shrine. The other four exited behind the jacketed men, and followed them back up the mountain, where a chopper was hovering overhead. The jacketed men arrived, where the chopper lowered an orange, human-massed basket, down to the men. There, they loaded Ash into the basket, before they signaled. The basket was raised from the ground. A minute later, Ash entered the chopper, along with the other two. The chopper, finally, flew off. Brock, Dawn, Calista and Pikachu could only hope that Ash was going to be all right. Was Ash going to be all right? Would he continue to train his Pokémon? It was hard to determine, without proper tools. Still, Calista and Pikachu prayed.

'Ash, please be all right,' she wished in her head. Let's hope so.

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	4. It Only Hurts Everywhere

_Chapter 4/Final: It Only Hurts Everywhere_

* * *

Brock, Calista, Dawn, and Pikachu had arrived at the hospital, where Ash was listed to be in. Inside, doctors were operating on Ash, hoping to mend the bones in his busted up body. The red light was on, above the door to the operating room. The four were hoping for good news to what could've been, according to the video, a vicious, unprovoked attack by Paul. A half-hour later, a middle-aged brunette doctor in a lab coat approached the four, with a clipboard on hand. It seemed he had the latest word on Ash's condition. "Are you Ash's friends?" he asked.

"We are," Brock replied. The doctor found an empty seat, next to Pikachu, and rested his body down. He reviewed the notes on his clipboard, before looking at the worried group.

"The name's Dr. Harband, and I did take Ash's x-rays. Your friend was...assaulted, I heard?" Brock and Dawn nodded. " And he was knocked off the mountainside?" More nods. "I see. Well, the injuries look worse than what we presumed." Concerns rose. How bad was it? "He's got a slipped kneecap, caused by a tear in the medial crucial ligament, in his right leg. He's also got a mild dislocation in his left shoulder. He's not, by any chance, left handed, is he?" Yeah, that could play a role in his adventure, right?

"No, he's right-handed." Never mind. Harband seemed cleared up.

"Okay, then. The worst had to have been his rib cage, obviously. This kid's got so many breaks, I'm surprised that none of his 13 ribs had punctured his internal organs." 13 ribs? Paul must have had that Electabuzz hit Ash in the sweet spot. "There is good news to this." The number 13? What could be good about 13, as in 13 ribs? "The breaks were clean, thus, we had gone into surgery to refit the ribs." So, the doctors had gone, to repair Ash's rib cage, hoping that he could recover quickly. The good doctor flipped a sheet over, and saw something else. "There was one more injury, he did suffer." Was it serious? Everyone held their breath.

"Is it that important?" Dawn gasped. Let's just hope that it's not career-threatening.

"Well, the only other injury he suffered, was a minor pierce in his groin." Anyone with a straight face after hearing that, is taking this story _way_ too seriously. Brock began to fidget quite badly, as the girls squinted. A pierced groin? Nasty.

"Will it effect is...um..." That, though incomplete, seemed like a serious matter. However, Harband chuckled. It would appear that he didn't see this as a big deal.

"No need to worry. A specialist worked on it for a few minutes, and it's good to go. Unfortunately, your friend might need to stay in ICU for a week. Two weeks tops." That would be plenty of time for Ash to recover. The four understood the doctor, confirming what was best for their friend.

"Thank you, doctor," Brock acknowledged. "When is it okay to see Ash?" They thought that they could tell Ash, the good news.

"Right now, with the successful operation, he's heavily sedated. Come back, tomorrow." The four agreed, but as they exited, Calista looked on, at the light. She didn't want to leave Ash's side, since confessing her love to him. Still, complying to doctor's orders, she left to join the rest. The next morning, in an ICU room, Ash woke up to the morning sun. His surgically-made body was covered in a gown, as a female in a nurse's outfit entered.

"Good morning, Ash?" she greeted. "How are you feeling?" How do you think, he's feeling? He just got out of surgery. Do you have to imagine that he was as sore as a pitcher's arm, after a complete game of baseball, nine innings worth

"I've been better," Ash shrugged. The nurse walked over, passing a stand with an IV pouch attached to Ash's vein, and brought out a stethoscope. She listened to Ash's heartbeat, as well as placing her fingers on his wrist. A minute later, she removed the stethoscope.

"Pulse is normal, which is good. By the way, you think you can eat?" Bet you, Ash hasn't had a bite for some time, so some food should be considered sufficient. He nodded, allowing the nurse to exit the room...almost. She turned around, re-eying Ash. "Oh, your friends are here. You want to see them?" They had been seriously worried about him. Once again, Ash agreed, letting the nurse go...and having Brock and Dawn enter. They were glad to see Ash, up, not about yet.

"Hey, how's the cliff diver doing?" Brock joked. Ash laughed, still sporting his sense of humor. Dawn was less than enthusiastic with that kid around.

"Brock, don't tell me, you forgot about the tape?" she scorned. "Paul and his Electabuzz nearly killed him." Oh, come on, Dawn. He was just trying to lighten the mood.

"It's okay, Dawn," Ash chuckled. "Brock means well." He was thrilled to see Brock and Dawn, again. That's when he noticed that someone was missing. You know, short, redhead, archaeologist...we know who. "Where's Calista?" Ash began to worry about the girl who had taken care of him, the instant he was assaulted.

"She's still asleep, and Pikachu's watching over her," Brock noted. "She's been so worried about you, she stayed awake throughout the night." Ash sighed in relief, but rather concerned, knowing that Calista was worried sick about him.

"I kinda wished that I let her sleep with me." Brock wasn't sure about that kind of response, but Dawn's eye began to twitch...like someone on a caffeine high. She swung her head to the side, thinking that Ash was being selfish.

"What do you see in that scrawny girl?" she snapped. Temper, Dawn.

"She, and her Baltoy did help me out. Letting her, be with me, would be the least I could do." Nothing selfish about that. Dawn turned back to the injured trainer, wanting to know more about Calista. Apparently, she believed that this wasn't the first time Ash had met her.

"So, have you met this girl in a recent adventure?" Ash wasn't too shy to talk about his past. There was a time that he and Calista met, before running into Dawn.

"As a matter of fact, we met during my time in Hoenn, when I got separated from Brock and the siblings, none related to him, in the Kiri Kiri Mountains." In the Kiri Kiri Mountains? And Brock was there, too? That's when Brock remembered the place, as well.

"Yeah, that foggy area," Brock blurted out. "Me, May and Max ended up losing Ash in there. We didn't go chasing after him until the fog cleared up." Sounded like whatever happened to Ash, Brock didn't want the same thing to imply to the other two names.

"Well, I met an older lady, first, singing about a song, called 'Baltoy's Path.' After he vanished I saw Calista's Baltoy, spinning toward a cliff side. Pikachu and I stopped it, before going off, when Calista arrived, and claimed the saved Baltoy. She told us (me and Pikachu) that she was searching for a civilization, dedicated to Baltoy. We got back to where I saw the grown woman, and found her at that same spot. We traveled down a secret tunnel, and entered that civilization, filled with the history of Baltoy's past. That's when we found a time machine, which looked like alien markings on a stone plate. The woman requested Calista to have Baltoy do Rapid Spin, and when it did, the machine was activated. The woman told both of us, that the ultimate treasure in the universe was..."

"Love?" Love? We all need love, once in a while, but was love the ultimate treasure in the universe? Dawn disagreed...with a slamming punch to Brock's head? Man, just say that you didn't like that answer.

"Oh, please," she grunted. "It's rather obvious. It's Pokémon that's the ultimate treasure in the universe." Pokémon? Was it really, the treasure? Ash thought both answers were wrong.

"Boy, aren't you two off the mark," he groaned. "The ultimate treasure in the universe is actually...time." Time? That's the ultimate treasure? Brock and Dawn were shallowed up in disbelief.

"How's time the ultimate treasure in the universe?" Ash was prepared to explain his memory of what happened.

"Well, we all live one life, thus, we take benefit of how we use it. No one understands that, since when it comes time, what we have and what we lose, will forever be etched in time. We're not permitted to change the past, nor see the future to predict what we need to do. What we have now, is what we need to live with, regardless of what the future has in store." That was a very interesting insight. Brock and Dawn seemed awed about what Ash was taught, by the older woman.

"I guess I should have let you speak out, since you were there, and not us," Brock confessed. "For time to be the ultimate treasure in the universe, holds true to so much more than any human would even consider." Good point. Ash seemed fascinated to pass the knowledge to his friends about the retrospect of time.

"Speaking of time, did the doctors say how long I'm projected to be in here for?" The surgeons never said anything?

"A week or two," Dawn replied. "The ribs cleanly broke, and there was no real serious restructuring to your shoulder or knee." Hearing that "good" news, Ash chuckled a bit. "I don't know if you should be laughing. You did have a baker's dozen broken ribs." Ash became silent...for a bit.

"That much, huh? Wow. Paul _really _got me, good." Brock heard Paul's name, and responded to it.

"About that, Paul was arrested and charged with attempted murder, by illegal use of a Pokémon," he stated. "In this district, there is no age limit to being charged with an adult crime, so Paul's gonna be suffering for sometime. In addition, his license for being a trainer has been permanently revoked, due to the crime." So Paul was going to jail for a long while. Ash had a pretty good feeling about why.

"I know, he really hates the way I train and raise my creatures. Did he say the same thing?" His excuse wouldn't fly, no matter what it was.

"Actually, he said nothing. At least, you don't need to worry about him, anymore." True enough. So Paul gave no word on his actions. Still, that was a cowardly act to do. "Besides, the tape will be used as evidence at his trial, so we won't be able to see it for sometime." Like they really need it for anything else. Then, the nurse entered the room, wheeling in a tray with pancakes, sausages, bacon, milk and orange juice. Seeing the food, Brock and Dawn realized that they needed to leave, so that Ash could eat in privacy. "Well, we'll leave you to eat. Don't choke, okay?"

"Sure." Brock and Dawn left the room, as Ash ate. A couple hours past his breakfast, Ash was lying down. Something was still going through his head. Was it Calista? Suddently, there was a knock. Ash looked. There she was. "Calista?" Calista walked over to Ash's bedside, wondering, how he was feeling.

"You okay?" she asked. Ash chuckled a bit.

"A little better, seeing you." Calista smiled, appreciating the response. He took a deep breath, before continuing. "I been...thinking about what you said, before EMTs carried me off." Must have been when Calista confessed to loving Ash. "I want to take care of you, like you took care of me, for as long as time permits us to." Was this his real reply to Calista's confession? Grasping his hand with a pair of hers, she was willing to hear if he loved him back.

"You...you mean?" Ash nodded. He was honest, as he clutched her hand, gently.

"It's you, that I've been thinking of, since leaving Hoenn. I do love you, very much." Her eyes glistened in happiness, as she joined Ash in bed, and they put the lip-locking on. Oh yeah. Pikachu, who was with Brock and Dawn at the doorway, was happy to see its trainer get some love. It was the only one, sadly. Brock was distraught, seeing the kiss Ash got, and jealous. Dawn was also jealous...seriously. Her face was that of wanting to tear Calista away from Ash. Well, that week went by pretty fast. Ash's injuries healed up faster than the surgery itself. Ash, along with Brock, Dawn, Calista and Pikachu, exited the hospital. The journey would go on, in addition to the newest member of the team. That meant dealing with Team Rocket, still, and more Pokémon to capture. Fast forward to a couple of months later. Ash and Calista, along with Pikachu were on their way to Pallet Town. There Calista could confront someone named Prof. Oak, and share information about her archeology adventures. Ash had more than Prof. Oak. He was carrying a trophy. There was something carved on the trophy base.

POKÉMON MASTER OF THE SINNOH LEAGUE: ASH KETCHUM, CHAMPION.

Ash was the champion of the Sinnoh League. About time, too. However, in reality, Ash had three trophies: the one in his arm, the one on his shoulder...and the one holding his hand. The past united them. The present helped each other out. The future...would be something that can only be made, between them. Time was the ultimate treasure in the universe. The time that they wanted to share together...was a dream come true.

* * *

THE END


End file.
